I look forward to staying at Bakers Hole sometime, many thanks for the reccomendations.

My favorite campground in the world, public or private, is virtually adjacent to Yellowstone's least used entrance at Cave Falls in the Targhee National Forest East of Ashton, ID. The campground is also called Cave Falls. The river below most of the sites is just delightful and it is a pretty short walk to captivating Cave Falls in the Park if you want to leave the car with tent or camper. If you are any kind of a hiker/walker spending the day on a very short loop from the Bechler Ranger Station [YNP] is in my mind incredibly rewarding. As far as I know this is the lushest place in all of Wyoming with an incredible [by regional standards] variety of deciduous plants and trees. The fishing is truly special. Although some more athletic people do it as a dayhike an overnight to Dunanda Falls on boundary Creek ranks right up there as one of the truly greatest places I know of and in my experience probably the most exotic place in the Time Zone. Bugs however can be problematic, so I reccomend going as late in August as you can.

Andie wrote:Dave, we still have not had the opportunity to camp at Baker's Hole, but I'm hoping maybe this next season.

Well Andie,

I hope you do, it is my favorite campground in the area, I always feel very relaxed in that camp ground, I hope you get a chance to experience it.

Dave

I have to add my "thumbs up" for Bakers Hole. We had always heard good things about this CG so this past Sept we grabbed a pull through site over-looking the Madison River here. What a real treat and what a REAL GEM of a CG. We will be back but this next time, we'll be staying longer than just 4 days!

Gardiner, Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe. Open all year. We almost always pick up a couple wraps to take with us. Always fresh and tasty and easy to take with you so as to spend more time on critter patrol.

Cooke City, Beartooth Cafe for a nicer sit down dinner. Great selection of food and beer. Check for dates open, not open all year.

I haven't seen in mentioned much in this thread, but I've always had a good meal at Roosevelt Lodge. The breakfast has always been great IMO. Dinner is very good too, and the atmosphere is excellent. Either sitting in the rocking chairs if there is a wait to eat, or hanging out by the fireplace.

If we to go Lamar or drive the Blacktail Plateau first thing in the morning, we'll go there for a later breakfast. Most everything else in the Park is hit or miss, like most have said.

As far as away from the park, in Jackson particularly, I really like the Merry Piglets and the Snake River Brewery.

As to eating in the park....besides the ice cream : The deli in the Lake Hotel has chili that is quite good, and some good sandwich selections if it is open. We also enjoy the breakfast buffet at the Lake Hotel....if you are a fan of smoked salmon it especially is a deal. Dinner at the hotel has come with mixed results, sometimes quite good (actually one of the best was when they had to use the grill outdoors because of a power outage), and sometimes just plain bad. We prefer the cafeteria at Lake Lodge to those at Canyon or Old Faithful, although the food is probably pretty similar. We've had appetizers in the small bar in Old Faithful Inn.....pretty decent, and they can be made into a meal. Roosevelt has also been mixed.....the ribs and burgers range from great to ok...but the beans are always good!

Outside the park: In West, Running Bear can't be beat for breakfast. In Gardiner we like K Bar for pizza and other things (the management change has been good!), and Sawtooth Deli for breakfast (when open) and great soup/sandwiches In Cooke City/Silver Gate the Log Cabin is generally good, the Beartooth Cafe (great smoked trout, made in house) has a good varied menu, and, when she is open, the Bearclaw (?) Bakery has good breakfasts, and unfortunately, really good cinnamon rolls and sticky buns. In Jackson we like Shades for breakfast, Snake River Brewery for a casual lunch or dinner, and for a special treat, the Blue Lion. Pricey, but fabulous rack of lamb, elk medallions, and fresh fish. And they do have an early bird special giving 20% off the whole check, which works when you need to get back into the park!

My husband considers food an essential part of vacation, so we probably spen more time in restaurants than most. I guess it is his vacation too!

Frankly, since none of the food in the park is that great, we tend to prefer eating, first, at the cafeterias and second, at the lunch counters. The cafeterias at Lake Lodge, Old Faithful, and Canyon serve generous portions, the food is certainly fit to eat and often quite good, and not outrageously expensive. We have gotten some very good dinners at the Mammoth Dining Room and we have also gotten some meals that were not so great. (Breakfast there is definitely overpriced, in my opinion.)

GeorgiaPhotog wrote:Does anyone have recommendations for eating in the park? I've been reading reviews on TripAdvisor and nothing sounds great. When we come next spring we'll load up with some groceries at Jackson, but that won't last the whole trip and I don't want to eat cold sandwiches all the time either. We'll need some hot, hearty food somewhere.

The ice cream is fine.Lake Hotel is a pleasant dining experience, though reservations usually needed for dinner (sometimes days in advance).The food there seems better than anywhere else in the park which is almost universally mediocre, in my experience. However, in this thread there was one recommendation for the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and for counter food at Fishing Bridge.